UF Offers New Horticultural Therapy Course with Certificate Program to Follow

Hands holding and feeling a sample of refined topsoil. Photo taken 04-03-18

GAINESVILLE, Fla.(UF/CALS) – As a junior psychology major at the University of Florida, Emily Fradet looked for ways to gain more hands-on experience in clinical psychology, counseling and therapy treatment of patients. She stumbled upon a new fall 2019 introductory course in horticultural therapy while searching for intriguing electives.

“I’m
interested in alternative forms of therapy, so I thought this course would be a
perfect mix for me,” Fradet said. “In psychology, we learn about the process of
mental illness, but not the treatment; this course is more about therapy and
treatment.”

As
a hobbyist gardener herself, Fradet said she is looking forward to involving
that area of her life into her career. She said she finds gardening to be
therapeutic and knows it can help a lot of other people as well – especially in
areas of managing stress and anxiety.

The
ORH 4932 Introduction to Horticultural Therapy course has been in the works for
several years, said Leah Diehl, a lecturer in the UF/IFAS environmental
horticulture department. The fully online course will be offered for the first
time this fall.

Horticultural
therapy uses plants and gardening as a vehicle for people to work toward goals
or improve skills. For example, patients with Parkinson’s disease utilize this
therapy method for maintaining fine and large motor skills while also managing
depression, which can be a symptom of the disease.

The
introductory course will be the first in a series of four classes offered as
part of a new horticultural therapy undergraduate certificate to be offered through
the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. Topics of the subsequent
classes will include techniques in horticultural therapy, program management
and an internship or independent study component.

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The
certificate program is aligned with the requirements for professional
registration with the American Horticultural Therapy Association (AHTA). The
program has applied for certificate accreditation with AHTA.

Fradet
plans to pursue the undergraduate certificate in horticultural therapy. The
certificate is open to all UF students as well as non-degree seeking students
who wish to add a credential to their experiences in the workforce.

“I
have been contacted by more than 100 people from near and far interested in
taking these courses,” Diehl said. “There are no other fully online options for
a program like the horticultural therapy certificate, which is particularly of
interest to students in China and Singapore where I’ve received most inquiries.”

Diehl
said she looks forward to bringing personal experiences of horticultural
therapy to the students through virtual field trips. At least three virtual
Gainesville garden visits will be included in the fall introductory course with
virtual trips to other places in Florida and beyond coming in the second and
third courses.

“What’s
also really exciting about our horticultural therapy certificate program at UF
that makes us different is that we are associated with both the UF College of
Medicine and the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences,” Diehl
said. “We have a clinical therapeutic program in place, and we’re already doing
research.”

In
her role as the director of therapeutic horticulture at Wilmot Gardens in the
UF College of Medicine, Diehl is in the process of finding funding to work with
the UF campus community as a population that can benefit from horticultural
therapy.

“It’s
very concerning what’s happening now across the country where many university
students are experiencing increasing levels of anxiety and depression,” Diehl
said. “I think a lot of our students will be interested in taking the courses
for their own personal health benefits, but also for helping others. We need to
be serving our own students.”